Thoughts on Barking (Track by Track)

[Postal]

A lot of what I would have said has already been covered, so I won't rehash a lot of key points.

Bird 1 is a good opener and sounds just enough like Underworld without being a slave to traditional modes, although anyone who's been to a recent UW gig will recognize the style to some extent.

Scribble works better in its album form than in the detached radio edit, or even the full single. It gets room to breathe here.

Hamburg Hotel I'll agree is somewhat aimless, but I enjoyed it. I couldn't help but think a bit of tracks like Skym or Winjer, and while it's not the same, it evoked that mood for me, however briefly.

The highlights in the second half are, by far, Between Stars and Diamond Jigsaw. The former has gobs of energy and enthusiasm, and it helped recall the Montreal concert last year, when I heard the song played live (to great effect). The vibe carries forward in the next track. Didn't know Paul van Dyk had influenced it until now, but that would make sense.

Aaaaand then there's Louisiana.

It feels like it must be a dedication to Karl's wife or something similar, because it's very much out of step with the rest of the album. I've certainly heard worse, but between the change in style and the disconcerting use of voice modulation... yeah, it doesn't work so well, here.

I will definitely recommend this album to anyone interested in techno, and I'd say it's in the upper echelons of Underworld albums, but I'll put an asterisk at the end of my recommendation: stop before Louisiana unless you're trying to be a completist.